Voltage-controlled attenuator

ABSTRACT

A voltage-controlled attenuator achieves lower distortion and noise through a construction wherein collector currents of a driving differential amplifier are linearized by employing a current mirror configuration. The circuit design lends itself to IC fabrication by lowering current requirements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a voltage-controlled attenuator which is made low in noise and distortion.

A conventional voltage-controlled attenuator is arranged as shown in FIG. 1.

More specifically, an input voltage E_(IN) is converted into a current by a differential amplifier having transistors Q₁ and Q₂, and the current is used to drive the common emitters of a pair of differential amplifiers which include transistors Q₃ and Q₄, and Q₅ and Q₆, respectively. The base biases of the transistors Q₃ through Q₆ forming the pair of differential amplifiers are controlled by a voltage Vc, so that the collector current of one of the transistors Q₃ and Q₄ is increased as the collector current of the other is decreased, and so that the collector current of one of the transistors Q₅ and Q₆ is increased while that of the other is decreased.

That is, the currents in the load resistors R₁ and R₂ are controlled, and the output voltages are also controlled by the bias voltage.

Let us consider the operation when the transistors Q₄ and Q₅ are conductive (on), i.e. where the attenuation factor of the attenuator is 0 dB. The distortion and noise characteristics are determined by the transistors Q₁ and Q₂, the load resistors R₁ and R₂ are emitter resistors R₃ and R₄ only. That is, the distortion characteristic is determined by the steady voltage V_(R) applied to the emitter resistors R₃ and R₄ and the ratio of the V_(BE) characteristics KT/q of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂. The noise characteristic is governed by the square by the square average value of the terminal noises Vn=√4KTBR of the load resistors R₁ and R₂ and the emitter resistors R₃ and R₄.

Accordingly, a level which meets both distortion and noise characteristics cannot be obtained without increasing the current value of the constant current source I. However, increasing the current of the constant current source I is disadvantageous in that the transistors must be increased in size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a voltage-controlled attenuator in which the above-described difficulty is eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional voltage-controlled attenuator;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a first example of a voltage-controlled attenuator according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a second example of the voltage-controlled attenuator according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 2, a pair of differential amplifiers comprising transistors Q₃ through Q₆ are similar to those shown in FIG. 1, and are driven by a differential amplifier comprising transistors Q₁, Q₂ and Q₇ through Q₁₀.

That is, emitter followers comprising transistors Q₇ and Q₈ are connected to the input terminals of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂ forming the differential amplifier, respectively. The transistor Q₉ is connected so that the operating currents of the transistors Q₇ and Q₂ are coupled in a current mirror mode, and the transistor Q₁₀ is connected so that the operating currents of the transistors Q₁ and Q₈ are coupled in a current mirror mode.

On the other hand, the collector outputs of the transistors Q₄ and Q₅ are applied to an operational amplifier OP₁, so that the difference between these collector outputs is provided at the output terminal OUT of the operational amplifier OP₁.

In the voltage-controlled attenuator thus organized, the input voltage E_(in) can be represented by the following expression (1):

    E.sub.in =-V.sub.BE7 -V.sub.BE1 +2(R.sub.E I.sub.e)+V.sub.BE2 +V.sub.BE8 (1)

where R_(E) =r₃ =r₄, resistances of the emitter resistors R₃ and R₄ being r₃ and r₄, respectively; and I_(e) =I_(e1) =I_(e2), the emitter currents of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂ being I_(e1) and I_(e2), respectively.

When only the AC variation components are taken into consideration, then expression (1) can be rewritten as follows:

    ei=-ΔV.sub.BE7 -ΔV.sub.BE1 +2(R.sub.E ·i.sub.e)+ΔV.sub.BE2 +ΔV.sub.BE8     (2)

where ΔV_(BE7) =ΔV_(BE2) and ΔV_(BE8) =ΔV_(BE1), because the operating currents of the transistors Q₂ and Q₇ are coupled in current mirror fashion through the transistor Q₉, and the operating currents of the transistors Q₁ through Q₈ are coupled in current mirror fashion through the transistor Q₁₀.

Therefore, expression (2) can be rewritten as follows:

    E.sub.in =2R.sub.E ·i.sub.e

Thus, the V_(BE) characteristics of the transistors are cancelled out, and the collector currents of the differential amplifier comprising the transistors Q₁ and Q₂, which is adapted to drive the pair of differential amplifiers having the transistors Q₃ through Q₆ are linearized.

Accordingly, even when the resistances of the emitter resistors R₃ and R₄ of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and those of the emitter resistors R₅ and R₆ of the transistors Q₉ and Q₁₀ are decreased and the current of the constant current source I is reduced, no distortion is produced, and the noise is low.

Thus, the pair of differential amplifiers comprising the transistors Q₃ through Q₆ are driven by the collector currents of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂, which are made distortion-less. Therefore, voltages developed across the load resistors R₁ and R₂ suffer mainly from secondary distortions.

However, since the outputs of the pair of differential amplifiers are subjected to subtraction in the operational amplifier OP₁, the secondary distortions are cancelled out; that is, no distortion is provided at the output of the operational amplifier OP₁. Thus, the voltage-controlled attenuator is, as a whole, low in noise and distortion.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, a pair of differential amplifiers, which are made up of transistors Q₃ and Q₄ and transistors Q₅ and Q₆, respectively, are driven by transistors Q₁₁ and Q₁₂, respectively. A linearized difference amplifier comprising transistors Q₁ ', Q₂ ', Q₇ ', Q₈ ', Q₉ ' and Q₁₀ ' constructed similarly to that in the embodiment of FIG. 2, employs PNP transistors. The transistors Q₁ ', Q₂ ', Q₇ ', Q₈, Q₉ ' and Q₁₀ ' correspond to the transistors Q₁, Q₂, Q₇, Q₈, Q₉ and Q₁₀ in FIG. 2, respectively. The transistor Q₁₁ is driven by the output of the transistor Q₁ ', and the transistor Q₁₂ is driven by the output of the transistor Q₂ '.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the transistors Q₇ ' and Q₈ ' form emitter followers connected to the input terminals of the transistors Q₁ ' and Q₂ ', respectively. The operating currents of the transistors Q₂ ' and Q₇ ' are coupled in the current mirror mode through the transistor Q₉ '. Similarly, the operating currents of the transistors Q₁ ' and Q₈ ' are coupled in the current mirror mode through the transistor Q₁₀ '. Transistors Q₁₁ and Q₁₂, in combination with diodes D₁ and D₂, form current mirror circuits, respectively.

The effect of the second embodiment of FIG. 3 is similar to that of the first embodiment of FIG. 2, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

However, it should be noted that the power utilization rate is improved, because the transistors Q₁ ', Q₂ ', Q₇ ', Q₈ ', Q₉ ' and Q₁₀ ' forming the differential amplifier are PNP transistors.

As is apparent from the above description, the voltage-controlled attenuator of the invention has less distortion and noise, and can be operated with a small current. As the attenuator can be operated with a small current, it can easily be provided in the form of an integrated circuit. Furthermore, the voltage-controlled attenuator can be operated with a low voltage, because the voltage loss due to the emitter resistors is small. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A voltage-controlled attenuator comprising:a pair of differential amplifiers for generating a pair of output signals for attenuation gain control, each of said differential amplifiers comprising a pair of first and second transistors having commonly connected emitters; and a driver differential amplifier comprising a third pair of transistors wherein each transistor in said third pair has its respective collector connected to one of the commonly connected emitters of one of said first and second pairs of transistors in said pair of differential amplifiers for driving said pair of differential amplifiers, first and second emitter followers respectively connected to first and second input terminals of said driver differential amplifier; and first and second control transistors connecting said respective emitter followers to transistors of said driver differential amplifier in a current mirror mode such that the operating current of said first emitter follower and the operating current of a first transistor of said third pair of transistors in said driver differential amplifier and the operating current of said second emitter follower and the operating current a second transistor of said third pair of transistors in said driver differential amplifier are proportional, and an operational amplifier, said output signals from said pair of differential amplifiers being applied to said operational amplifier for subtraction, an output of said operational amplifier being substantially distortion free.
 2. A voltage controlled attenuator as claimed in claim 1, said first input terminal being coupled to a first control transistor of said driver differential amplifier and said second input terminal being coupled to said second control transistor of said driver differential amplifier, said first emitter follower being connected to said second transistor of said driver differential amplifier in a current mirror mode, by said first control transistor and said second emitter follower being connected to said first transistor of said driver differential amplifier in a current mirror mode, by said second control transistor.
 3. A voltage-controlled attenuator as claimed in claim 1, said first and second emitter followers comprising PNP transistors, said differential amplifier being connected to said pair of differential amplifiers by way of a pair of intermediate transistors, each interposed between the collectors of one of said first and second transistors of said driver differential amplifier and one of said commonly connected emitters of said pair of differential amplifiers, driven by outputs of said differential amplifier.
 4. A voltage-controlled attenuator as claimed in claim 3, further including a pair of diodes, each connected across the base-emitter junction of one of said pair of intermediate transistors, which in combination with said intermediate transistors, comprise current mirror circuits. 